Lake County Board's Remap Committee met yesterday. There was a fly on the wall. It sent us a report. "The purpose of the committe, it was said, was to start creating a "fair" new map for county board districts. The committee consisted of five Republican board members (Chair Diana O'Kelly, Aaron Lawlor, Steve Mountsier, Linda Pedersen and Brent Paxson) and two Democratic members (Mary Ross Cunningham and Bill Durkin). Wait...five to two from a board almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats? Ah, magic already!
Much discussion ensued about the state's requirement that districts be 1) equal in population, 2) represent the interests of minorities as far as possible and 3) be compact. Several members brought up that the County Board was sued last time around for failing to abide by the first two provisions. (And lost.)
Then the board moved on to the most important business on the minds of several members: reducing the size of the board. This is fairly obviously being done so that the Republican majority can reduce the number of pesky Democrats on the board. Redistrict them and get them to run against each other. Easy, peasy!
But the move had to be justified. State law says county boards need to be reduced to 18 if county population reaches 800,000. "We might get up to that number in the next ten years," said member Mountsier, "so we should start shrinking now." Huh? You start planning now for a hypothetical situation that might never occur? When do governments ever do that?
So the plan is to reduce the board to 21 members. Of course, since the population of Lake County increased dramatically since 2000, each district will be significantly bigger in the remap. Republican plan, apparently: fewer districts, less representation.
Another member mentioned that two Republican county board members were retiring anyway. As if it is Republican seats that are going to be eliminated.
But the last word was had by Brent Paxson. 'I think we should do this because it's good government even though we probably won't hit 800,000 [population] in ten years.' He means there's no darned reason to limit the size of the board to 18 or 21 or 2, but they're going to do it anyway.
Exactly. The Board is going to do what it wants. Who needs any stinkin' legal justification? In the end, the vote to reduce the number of members to 21 was typical of the Lake County board.
COMMITTEE: Aye.
O'KELLY: All opposed?
COMMITTEE: [crickets]
So get ready for a map that (like magic) pits two Democrats against each other (four Dems in all) in two of the new districts. Wouldn't it have been nice if the County Board had considered going non-partisan instead? Nah, that would be too much like voodoo."
17 comments:
Typical Lake County Board. Where is the FAIR Democratic Representation? Cunningham and Durkin are east county centric. There are significant Democratic pockets east on the Interstate. But no, we won't appoint one of those Board Member because they might actually make us critically think this process.
It is time to change this Board of self serving Commissioners.
To all that have and will complain that the County remap is an un-democratic process I ask if you will complain when Congressman Walsh and I are representing Kenosha. Obviously that is a joke, one often repeated by Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), but the point is the same. The Democrats in Springfield are in the same process as the Republican County Commissioners. The Democrats can draw congressional and state districts unfettered just as the County Commissioners. It would be great to have a better way to draw maps than to the victor gets the spoils but at the end of the day we live in Illinois not Iowa.
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Ed - Wisconsin can use a couple of more crazies in the state. You and Joe would be a great fit!! Make sure you bring Dan with you.
Anon 9:18:
Don't tempt me. I can get to the Capitol of Wisconsin faster than I can get to the Capitol of Illinois.
And if you mean crazies as in challenging the status quo then you got me and the almost 70% of my district that voted for me in the last election.
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Lets not start throwing out percentages. Only about 1/3 of the population is registered to vote, You are lucky if 20% of that third actually voted, and you got 70% of that. Not really "the people" speaking.
The only thing speaking is apathy.
Double dipping on jobs and being a rep since 2003 is not questioning the status quo. That is the status quo!!
Mr. Tea,
Your response is fairly predictable. While I certainly wish more people would register to vote and then actually vote, elections are what they are. If you have ideas on how to get more people to vote I am all ears. Your attack on my duel employment is fairly predictable as well. What you fail to realize is the status quo of the Assessment field would rather I retire. You can look to the very near future for ethics legislation to address the problems we saw in the Avon Township Assessor’s and Supervisor’s office.
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Ed....Care to further pontificate on your speculations about Avon? Are you using the media for your facts?
Do you really know the story?
As far as the electorate, you are in the 8th District and only 43% of the electorate turned out. I don't believe anyone will argue you are popular in your district.
Just because Springfield chooses a way to re-district doesn't mean the rest follow that model. Like the first post noted, the LC Board Re-District Committee is afraid to use west county people. I am not quibbling about the fact there are only 2 Dems, but both from the east county, when there are strong Democratic pockets in the western county that do have some really intelligent Commissioners.
I love how Eddie, Jr. justifies the slash-and-burn mentality of the Lake County Board with supposition about Springfield. It's a little boy's version of "Well, they do it!" Eddie doesn't tell you that the current State mapping plan has more public input than the proposed "Fair Map", and far more input than our County Board's process.
"Public input?" Which explains ZERO suburban and collar county public hearings. And having public hearings on maps that are not being shown to the public isn't what anyone would call TRANSPARENT.
But then again, the County Board must be doing things right. No objections heard fro the democrats on the committee.
Louis G. Atsaves
Anon 9:33,
Please re-read my original post. I believe I said I wished the entire process was not a political exercise. I will type slower for you and explain the Iowa reference. In Iowa they computer generate maps based on a set of criteria. Politics is taken out of the equation. So when I say I wish the process at the state and county levels were different I am having a hard time understanding where you get the inference that I support either.
Rep. Ed Sullivan
LC Truth,
Don’t come unglued just yet. I was accused by Mr. Tea as advocating for the status quo because of my duel employment. My reference to Avon has to do with misdeeds by the previous administration. I have filed HA #1to HB2553 this morning. This is a Township ethics bill that would increase the penalties for the destruction of Township property. This provision is self explanatory especially in reference to the previous administration.
The bill also would limit the ability for an Assessor to increase compensation for an employee from the time of the election to when they leave office the following January. There will be further revisions in the Senate should this bill pass the house. This provision is in response to several incidents throughout the state where an assessor was defeated in April and made some ethically challenged decisions prior to leaving office the following January.
By the way, Supervisor Yingling has worked with me on earlier versions of this legislation to combat bad practices of Township Assessors. A democrat and a republican working together must be the “Status Quo” right?
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Ed - My comment on Status Quo was not based on that fact you hold 2 elected positions (must be a senestive issue for you). Is it the fact that you have been in 1 office for 18 years and the other for 9 years. What have you done to change the establishment???
I assume that being there are so many elected positions that you can hold 2, you would see the need to reduce government and look for areas to remove or consolidate? i.e Disband Township government. Being that Sam and you are so close I am sure you support his position on that? So instead of pushing BS legislation on slapping the hands of townships how about getting rid of them?
I am sure you would agree the job of assesor could be done at a county level? It is done there anyways, you have no real power as the assesor. Think of all the money saved for the tax payer just in Lake County!!
And that is Mr. NO Tea ..... please and Thank You.
Louis, since when is Waukegan not in a collar county? We get it, Louis. To you, everything GOP is good, everything else evil. You know that 'Fair Map' provided fewer hearings and promoted marginalization and division of Asian and Hispanic voters. But, thanks for your usual specious argument. At least you're consistent. Wrong, but at least, consistently wrong.
Eddie, well, thanks for typing slower. I'm surprised you moved from the big crayon to the keyboard in the first place. But, love your consistent touchiness. You'd think a guy with TWO TAXPAYER FUNDED JOBS would have a thicker skin, rather than a thicker middle.
But we know that your swipe was the 'unfettered' comment, not your Iowa reference. The State map will undergo far more scrutiny, especially with Charles Selle and Russell Lissau watching over the county's GOP led process. Nice try, though.
Mr. NO Tea,
First you are incorrect in your statement that an assessor has no real power and all assessments are done at the county level. That is only correct in Cook County. Assessors are certainly limited in the total they can raise or lower assessments based on sales data. They have great latitude in how individual assessments are developed according to the law.
I am not sure if there is a search engine on this blog but I have repeatedly stated that there should not be township assessors and that all functions would be more efficiently run and with more transparency at the county level. And yes, there is merit to dissolving certain local governments throughout the state. I believe Sen. Link has a bill he is trying to pass to begin the discussion of local government dissolution.
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Anon 4:07,
Please tell me how there can be more transparency in the process to draw state and congressional maps if you have hearings with no maps? Nowhere in the legislation on the remap process does it say there has to be a hearing with an actual map. In Executive Committee where the bill was heard I asked the direct question if it is possible we could vote on a bill for the maps without actually seeing the maps in any hearings around the state. Majority Leader Currie responded something to the effect that, “this is Springfield and anything is possible.”
Now the latest from the Senate side is that they will have two hearings with actual maps. The house side still has not indicated they will produce a map. We asked. What’s the reference from the blog post, [crickets].
Rep. Ed Sullivan
Ed...Thanks for the clarification. I can get behind that kind of legislation!
Ed-What are thoughts on TOI and the Urgent E-mails they send to defeat Sen. Link's Bill? Why is it that the organization that touts itself as representing the type of government that is closest to the people afraid to have the people vote on whether they want Township government?
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